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Monday, September 14, 2015

DC is not terribly friendly to babies according to new WalletHub report

The District of Columbia tied for 34th place in the Overall Rank WalletHub issued in their annual report on the best/worst states in which to have a baby.

2015's Best and Worst States to Have a Baby considers costs in three areas: budget, health care, and baby-friendly environment. Measures in the categories include Hospital Cesarean-Delivery Charges, Hospital Conventional-Delivery Charges, Average Annual Infant-Care Costs, and Average Annual Wage of Pediatricians (budget); Infant Death Rate, Maternal Mortality Rate, and Number of Midwives & Obstetrician-Gynecologists per 100,000 Residents (health care); and Air Pollution, Number of Superfund Sites per 100,000 Residents, and Number of Child Care Centers per 100,000 Residents (baby-friendly environment).

DC fared poorly in the budget ranking (49) and the health care ranking (41) budget excelled in baby-friendliness (3). The District took first place in the metric "Number of Midwives & Obstetrician-Gynecologists per 100,000 Residents."

In the "Ask the Experts" section, experts offer advice for new parents, those thinking about being parents, and policy makers. This is a huge benefit to electeds and appointeds who want to know what the problem is and have a solution or two handed to them.